Chapter 11
BELLA CONNER
I stood on one of the picnic benches and whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. Once all eyes were on me, I announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, in lieu of a bachelor party, Matteo chose for us to have a peaceful gathering today at The Gauntlet.”
Everyone cheered, and I smiled as I watched Martha Forrester help her great-granddaughter Lyric get her helmet on as a few of her other great-grandchildren sat around her feet, strapping on their protective gear.
“We’ve got quite a crowd today, and since we can’t just have a free-for-all, I’ve asked an experienced mediator to choose our teams.”
“We get Koda!” Willow Forrester, a woman I’d known forever and mom to some of my good friends, announced. When I shook my head, she yelled, “Okay, then I want Lyric!”
“Martha has taken the time to choose the team members, so I’m going to give her the floor so none of y’all will dare to argue,” I said as I got down to stand beside Matteo.
“I thought we’d be on the same team,” Matteo said with a frown.
“Honey, after we’re married, we always will be, but when it comes to paintball, it’s every man and woman for themselves. That includes us.”
“But . . .”
“I’m going to take every opportunity to light your ass up along with all of your buddies, just like I hope you’ll do for me and my friends.”
“I’m supposed to shoot you? Just like that?”
I nodded before I said, “I’m going to shoot you every chance I get.”
“I don’t know if I can shoot at Tabby. She’s too nice,” Zach said with a frown.
“But you can shoot me?” Brett asked in outrage. “What makes you think I can shoot you?”
“Tell me you haven’t considered it at least twice a day since you met him,” Zach’s mom, Paula, said with a laugh. “I’ve been giddy waiting for this since I found out it was on the agenda.”
“You wound me,” Zach said dramatically, putting his hand over his heart as if he was in pain.
“You know, you’re right, although I’ve thought of much more painful ways to end him, especially when he gets sick and whiny.”
“Like you are right now, Mrs. Hangover Campana?”
“If both of you don’t shut up, I’m going to shoot you right here where you stand,” Bex threatened. “I’m just now starting to feel a little better.”
“I’m glad they won’t be on our team because none of them are firing on all cylinders,” Luca reasoned. “We’ve already got an advantage with all of them being hungover.”
“Do you think you can shoot me, Rico?” Bex asked.
“I think that if given the opportunity, I . . .” Rico’s voice trailed off. He cleared his throat and said, “We’ve been together for a while now, so this could be cathartic in many ways.”
“Oh, it’s on,” Bex growled as she glared at Rico. She looked around for his sons, Vigo and Nicky, before she asked, “Is Stan playing? I know she’d love to get her brothers.”
“She is,” I assured her. “I saw her just a few minutes ago when she and Rin were checking out their guns.”
Smokey Forrester helped his wife up onto the bench and then to the table where I’d been standing. She didn’t have to whistle to get everyone’s attention; they gravitated toward her like always. She smiled when she saw that all eyes were on her.
“I’ve taken everyone’s names down, and separated all of you into four groups by category,” Martha explained.
“Since I don’t know some of you as well as others, I’ve put you into the category where I thought you’d fit best because of your .
. .” Martha looked up as she tapped her chin before she smiled at the crowd again and said, “Wisdom and life experiences.” She let the laughter die down before she continued.
“With that being said, we have wisdom and experience in one category and sheer meanness in another, not that those don’t overlap in some cases.
” Martha looked at the list in her hand and declared, “The first group is made up of women who no one in their right mind should mess with, just because I know that they’re strong women who stand their ground.
Bella is team captain, and their paint color will be purple.
When I call your name, please come up and stand with Bella.
Tad, Rain, Amy, Janis, Cora, Dixie, Raven, and Wren.
You will be on her team, and to round out your numbers, I’m adding in some women I’ve had the opportunity to get to know over the last few days - Constance, Bex, Tabby, and Brett. ”
We cheered, and I kissed Matteo. As I walked around him, I slapped his ass and said, “Good luck, big guy. You’re gonna need it!”
“Now, for Matteo’s team. I don’t know any of you well just yet, so I’m banking on your life experiences to help you today.
It might not be the Wild West, but I’ve seen enough on TV and in movies to understand that you will probably be able to hold your own in a gunfight.
” Everyone laughed, and I was happy to see that Rico, Ziggy, and the other guys appreciated her joke.
“Matteo, if you’ll come stand over here, and I need Ziggy, Luca, Rico, Zach, Simmy, Nicky, Vigo, Ciro, Salvatore, Jersey, and Paulie to join you, please. ”
“New York! New York! New York!” Matteo chanted, and the men on his team joined him as they came from around the room to stand nearby. He pointed at me before he said, “Watch yourself, Bella. I’m gunning for you and your girls.”
“Good luck, sweetheart. You’re gonna need it,” I said as Tabby flipped Matteo off and Brett used finger guns to shoot at Zach, causing all of us to laugh even harder.
“Okay!” Martha yelled to be heard over the good-natured arguing.
“I took sheer meanness into account when I chose the first women’s team, but with this one, I also considered life experience.
The leader of the second women’s team will be Terra Forrester, who I know Bella brought in as a ringer, so I thwarted her plan and put her on an opposing team. ”
“No!” I yelled. “We want Terra and Willow!”
Willow bounced in excitement before she looked around and asked, “Who else do we get?”
As if they knew she was about to say their names, some of the other moms I had invited - only because I knew how much they enjoyed stuff like this, not at all because I hoped they’d be on my team, ready to blow all the guys away - started walking toward Terra.
“Terra’s team includes Willow, Izzy, and Liberty in addition to some of our Time Served friends: Sandi, Blue, Brea, Paula, and Jenn.”
Sandi high-fived the other women as they gathered around Terra, and Martha smiled deviously before she said, “And just to shake it up, I’ve added some others who I know are ready to join in the fun.
New York meets Texas with the rest of the crew.
Avita, Alazei, Bettina, and Ilaria, join your teammates up front. ”
“No!” Tabby whispered. “How is that fair? They’re trained for this shit!”
“We are so fucked,” Bex hissed.
“Honey, we were fucked the second she made Terra the team captain,” I informed her. “We’re gonna have to bank on youth and cunning because if you think our guards are bloodthirsty and handy with weapons, you should hear some of the stories I have about the rest of her team.”
Raven scowled and said, “We’ve been training for this shit our entire lives. We’ve got this.”
“Who gets the kids? That’s what I want to know,” Rain chimed in. “If we’re gonna go up against professionals, we at least need a few of the kids!”
“Our other team of experience and wisdom includes some of my very favorite boys, who I know my girls have been dying to shoot at for . . . well, probably forever.”
“This is not fair at all! Matteo’s team already has my brothers, and they live for this shit,” Stan said worriedly. “Don’t even get me started on what our guards can do!”
“She’ll make it even somehow,” I assured them. “Besides, this is all for fun, right?”
Janis clenched her jaw and drew her eyebrows together before she said, “I’m here to shoot people, and I don’t care who they are. I’m going on a full-out rampage. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.”
“Dylan, your team includes Nix, Hawk, Ruf, Noble, Hawk, Crow, Corey, and Garvey as well as Rooster, Tiny, Stamp, and Preacher.”
Dylan pointed at me and grinned. “We’ve got Forresters, cops, and bikers! Boom, Bella! You’re going down!”
I flipped my brother off and sighed as I watched Koda, Griffin, Lyric, and Scoot climb onto the table to stand with Martha as she motioned for Freddie and Rory Romano to join them up front.
“Now, here with me, I have the ringers. I know these are who you really want on your teams, and I’ve tried to be fair about it.
Since Terra’s team has quite a few well-trained women .
. .” She looked at Rico and raised her eyebrows.
“Not that your friends aren’t just as capable, I’m sure. ”
I grinned when I saw Ciro and Paulie with their mouths open in shock while Jersey laughed and Salvatore glared daggers at the female guards, especially Alazei, Stan’s guard, who he didn’t get along with at all.
Martha put her hand up and announced, “Scoot and Lyric, you’re with Bella and her girls. Rory and Freddie, I think your dad’s team is really gonna need your help. And as much as I hate to say it, Dylan, I think Koda and Griffin are the only way you’re going to come out of this with any dignity.”
“Gamma!” Phoenix yelled. “How could you say such a thing? Besides, I think Lyric should be with us. So should Scoot. It’s my duty to protect them . . .”
Lyric curled her lip into a sneer as Scoot started cackling, her raspy voice echoing around the room. The rest of us were laughing, too, because we knew without a doubt that Phoenix was full of shit. He knew what his daughter was capable of and didn’t want to go up against her.